Question For Manny Pacquiao: How difficult is to prepare for a fighter that has a difficult style like Algieri, with MMA experience and not too much video to study from?

“Chris Algieri poses many puzzles for me to solve. In terms of his height and reach, only Antonio Margarito surpasses him in the scope of opponents I have faced. Algieri is also the most scientific, fluid and fittest fighter I have ever opposed. All of those factors, plus he is five years younger than me, make him the most dangerous opponent of my career.

“To me, boxing is a lot like chess. You don't just move a piece and wait for your opponent to respond, you have to see the board and think 10 to 12 moves ahead and anticipate the variables your opponent may counter with. Algieri does that and he does that very well. If you look at his recent fights — against Mike Arnaoutis, Emanuel Taylor and Ruslan Provodnikov — each victory for him was considered an upset. Yet Algieri never considered himself an underdog, he went into each fight confident and with the right game plan and no matter what happened in the ring, he was disciplined enough to stay with that game plan. And it worked. He outfought them and out-thought them.

“Algieri's reach and height will require me to work on closing the distance with him in the ring and I will need my speed more than ever to be able to score damaging blows to him while avoiding his own counters. I watched him fight Provodnikov and he fought the perfect fight against him. But I do not intend to fight Algieri's fight. I intend on fighting my fight and more importantly, making him fight my fight. This will be a battle of wills as much as it will be a battle of blows. There will be a lot more going on in the ring than fans will realize, and it will be fast and it will be exciting.

“There are no shortcuts to victory. My success begins and ends in training camp. You win a fight by winning each round and it is the same in training camp. I give my all each and every day — running in the morning, working out in gym and praying in my home — and focus on being the best I can be physically, mentally and spiritually. That is how I am preparing to fight Chris Algieri. I am sacrificing everything to defeat him and produce not just a convincing victory but my most impressive performance.”

“24/7 Pacquiao/Algieri” premieres Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on HBO immediately following the live World Championship Boxing event from Atlantic City.

COMMENTS

-Radam G :

Da Manny is just being nice. C-Al has struggled in training camp in Sin City. And he's been hitting XX carriers in the love tunnels more than he has been scrapping with his weak-arse sparring mates. And it is not going to get better when he leaves the mainland USA for Macau next week.
C-Al looked good beating a mild-warm body and a warm body. He looked aight in getting a gift against a hot body.
His chances of winning in Macau are "High Hopes." That until he climbs through those ropes. The way that he is blasting bizarre rhetoric from his mug hole, you would think that he is the BIG, BAD WOLF coming to the Asian "Island That Never Sleeps."
C-Al is now saying that he is not only going to dominate Da Manny, "but probably stop him."
"I could look into to Manny's and tell that he realizes that he has made a mistake in picking to fight me," manic-mouthed C-Al said.
WOW! C-Al is the typical mentally-already-beat fighter working his chops because he is petrified.
His team needs to calm him down. And quit letting him flabber to the media. Dude is all over the media place -- CBS, Fox, CNBC and ESPN to name a few. They are really giving him da luv. And loving his jive. But da sucka ain't gonna last five.
And he is delusional too. Dude is talking about 900thou or maybe a mil PPVs for this fight. He is beginning to believe the hype. Then he is going to do 2mil PPVs with Money May next year. GTFOH!
Wow! Talking about counting the ducks before the eggs hatch! They are going to be balut and will get give you a batch. I guess that is the way it is for "High Hopes." But just until he gets through those ropes. Then he is going to choke. And realize this thing is not a joke. Holla!

-flackoguapo :

Da Manny is just being nice. C-Al has struggled in training camp in Sin City. And he's been hitting XX carriers in the love tunnels more than he has been scrapping with his weak-arse sparring mates. And it is not going to get better when he leaves the mainland USA for Macau next week.
C-Al looked good beating a mild-warm body and a warm body. He looked aight in getting a gift against a hot body.
His chances of winning in Macau are "High Hopes." That until he climbs through those ropes. The way that he is blasting bizarre rhetoric from his mug hole, you would think that he is the BIG, BAD WOLF coming to the Asian "Island That Never Sleeps."
C-Al is now saying that he is not only going to dominate Da Manny, "but probably stop him."
"I could look into to Manny's and tell that he realizes that he has made a mistake in picking to fight me," manic-mouthed C-Al said.
WOW! C-Al is the typical mentally-already-beat fighter working his chops because he is petrified.
His team needs to calm him down. And quit letting him flabber to the media. Dude is all over the media place -- CBS, Fox, CNBC and ESPN to name a few. They are really giving him da luv. And loving his jive. But da sucka ain't gonna last five.
And he is delusional too. Dude is talking about 900thou or maybe a mil PPVs for this fight. He is beginning to believe the hype. Then he is going to do 2mil PPVs with Money May next year. GTFOH!
Wow! Talking about counting the ducks before the eggs hatch! They are going to be balut and will get give you a batch. I guess that is the way it is for "High Hopes." But just until he gets through those ropes. Then he is going to choke. And realize this thing is not a joke. Holla!

What do you think the purpose of this fight was Radam? And what opponents do you think will be next for Da Manny?

-stormcentre :

It's hard to imagine that Morales, Marquez and some others - not necessarily Chris - were the most fit fighters Pacman has faced.

-Radam G :

What do you think the purpose of this fight was Radam? And what opponents do you think will be next for Da Manny?

DINERO! Straight-up MOOLAH! He'd fight Money May next if Money May was not Kenducky Floyd. But it will probably be against light welterweight Jesse Vargas. Holla!

-mortcola :

It's hard to imagine that Morales, Marquez and some others - not necessarily Chris - were the most fit fighters Pacman has faced.

I never bet against PC. and C-Al is my homey and sometime gym mate. I can tell you the guy not only lives to train, but has the physiological and nutritional part down to a science, with good tradition thrown in. Whatever else you can say, he is in unusual shape, even for a grade-a fighter. And, as tall as task as beating POac is, you are going to see a much better fighter than the wishful-thinking Radam describes - he’s making up the jive because its getting him uncomfortable. Trust me, Rad, Pac doesn’t need you to slice down his opponent for him. Pac is an ATG, he lives for challenges. Chris is a special fighter. Even if he doesn’t beat Pac, he will force him to bring his very best. And that’s how it should be.

-dino da vinci :

Here's what I do know. I got +750 on Algieri. To me that represents extreme value. I do know that if they fought seven and a half times, Chris is winning at least one of them. I just need it to be the first one. Pacman is favored, and rightly so. This is in no way an easy fight for Manny. When taking a fighter with long odds, he still must be able to get his hand raised for the wager to make sense. Algieri can certainly win this fight. Again, this will not be a walk in the park for Manny.

-stormcentre :

Hmmmn . . interesting to see who on this sites is backing Algieri and who's rooting for Pacman.
I haven't seen enough of Chris - and don't believe that Provodkinov (spelling??) is enough of a boxer to gauge one win/fight on - to assess whether a, potentially declining, Pacquaio is in for a hard or easy night.
I do know that either Randy or Radam will be eating humble pie after the fight though, and after the fight hearing one of them tell the other words to the effect; "I told you so"; is going to be interesting.

-The Commish :

What do you think the purpose of this fight was Radam? And what opponents do you think will be next for Da Manny?

Marsa Bob Arum was already looking for Da Manny's next opponent when, POOF!, there he was. Chris Algieri. He had just beaten Ruslan Provodnikov and Arum quickly picked up the phone and called Joe DeGuardia, the President of Star Boxing and Algieri's longtime promoter.
It didn't take long to hammer out a deal. Not only did Arum look at Algieri as a very easy sell to the public, but as an easy win for Pacquiao. He was certainly right about the easy sell. Those PPV numbers are not going to be record-breaking, but they will be impressive, probably more than they would have been had Provodnikov been in there against Da Manny instead of Algieri.
Algieri is not "struggling in Sin City," as Radam would like to believe. He is in terrific shape and will be 100% physically and mentally ready come November 22. Yes, he is bringing "High Hopes" into the ring in Macau, but he really believes he is going to win.
The rounds are going to fly by in this fight. There is going to be some fast-paced action. But Da Manny is going to find himself swinging at air much of the time, while getting tattooed by the longer-armed Algieri.
Let's sing it together:
"Woops, there goes another round,
Woops, there goes another round,
C-Al's beating Manny Pacquiao down."
-Randy G.

-stormcentre :

Well, it will be a modern day (and NY version) of Rocky if Algieri wins this one - that's all I will say.

-Froggy :

I am with Radam G on this one, except I have said it won't go past six and I think he said five, a minor difference ! A huge step up for C-Al, when many people don't think he even won his last fight !

-Glass Joe :

Algieri saying stuff like, "I'll probably stop him" is just part of playing the game. As has been pointed out, the entire point of this is to make money and the fighters need to pump this up as much as anyone. I think Algieri has an outside chance at a UD. And by outside chance, I mean 'not much' of a chance, but a chance nevertheless.

-Radam G :

I can't wait to see C-Al in Macau next week. Imma break -- I mean shake -- his hand.
Da Manny is going to blow him away like sand. The heat in dat squared jungle, C-Al won't be able to stand. A lot of ice already, he ought to demand. ->http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUdv4NBDeWOCAycogZYCqXyq&v=mF9zUPrYhH4.
Wow! Mechanical moving to da dirty music maxiumum. Sorry, but he is not fluid. He looks like he has a bad case of arthritis. Talking about needing some Sea Buckthorn. Elite pugs move like ballet dancers, not somebody who looks like he is having a fit trying to be quick.
It is not hard to see what is going on in C-Al's camp. He looks as if he is about to fall off a ramp. He should get a better selection of music. That stuff that he is listening to is messing up his mind and mentally drowning and draining him.
Apparently, he doesn't know syet about the science and art of sounds. But he's mouthing about how of a scientific pug that he is.
OOPs! I musta' fo'got! My BAD! C-Al is talking about science fiction. Hehe! ->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzPcMzy4WI8. Holla!

-Radam G :

C-Al is looking like a slow-arse brontosaurus in training. Unless he is playing possum, he's beat already. The dude is not rock steady. He should quit publicly training. What is he gaining? Dude is just drowning and draining.
He is already mentally paining. He doesn't have a clue of how on his arse, Da Manny's shot, missiles and nukes are going to be raining.
The weather forecast: C-Al is going to try to mix, so he will be put to sleep by round six. Holla!

-stormcentre :

C-Al is looking like a slow-arse brontosaurus in training. Unless he is playing possum, he's beat already. The dude is not rock steady. He should quit publicly training. What is he gaining? Dude is just drowning and draining.
He is already mentally paining. He doesn't have a clue of how on his arse, Da Manny's shot, missiles and nukes are going to be raining.
The weather forecast: C-Al is going to try to mix, so he will be put to sleep by round six. Holla!

I'm not really up on Chris Algieri, he doesn't look too much to me, but then I am aware he still could be (Ruslan is no easy night out for anyone) . . . .
So RG, is Pacquiao going to knock Algieri out?
Or (is Pacquiao) just going to win on points.
What's your gut feel prediction there?
Also, why do you think everyone (those that are everyone that is) is getting behind Algieri if he's all hype?

-Radam G :

I'm not really up on Chris Algieri, he doesn't look too much to me, but then I am aware he still could be (Ruslan is no easy night out for anyone) . . . .
So RG, is Pacquiao going to knock Algieri out?
Or (is Pacquiao) just going to win on points.
What's your gut feel prediction there?
Also, why do you think everyone (those that are everyone that is) is getting behind Algieri if he's all hype?

Those who are getting behind him are because of proximately and/or his height and reach. He's not hype. He's just not in the league of the big boys.
For the life of me, I'll never get why fans get crazy about reach and height in boxing or basketball. Especially since few of the reach-est and height-est -- my words -- are among the greatest. And they don't get close.
Think about it. In all of boksing, you just have four pound-for-pound, all time long-legged greats. And they will be Sandy Saddler at featherweight, Sugar Ray Robinson at weightweight, Bob Foster at light heavyweight and Lennox Lewis at heavyweight.
C-Al is being fed to wolves. Every single pugs who he fights from this point out are going to pulverize him. He jigs as if he's having a seizure. I'm not hating on him. I'm just calling a space a space. And not hiding in the shade.
C-Al has been lucky. He got where he is by having home-nation judges who were pretty darn mucky. Holla!

-stormcentre :

Those who are getting behind him are because of proximately and/or his height and reach. He's not hype. He's just not in the league of the big boys.
For the life of me, I'll never get why fans get crazy about reach and height in boxing or basketball. Especially since few of the reach-est and height-est -- my words -- are among the greatest. And they don't get close.
Think about it. In all of boksing, you just have four pound-for-pound, all time long-legged greats. And they will be Sandy Saddler at featherweight, Sugar Ray Robinson at weightweight, Bob Foster at light heavyweight and Lennox Lewis at heavyweight.
C-Al is being fed to wolves. Every single pugs who he fights from this point out are going to pulverize him. He jigs as if he's having a seizure. I'm not hating on him. I'm just calling a space a space. And not hiding in the shade.
C-Al has been lucky. He got where he is by having home-nation judges who were pretty darn mucky. Holla!

Yes, well looking at his recent training videos I don't see much there to bother Pacman.
But then I'm going reserve my judgment because training videos aren't always a good gauge - plus the last time I spoke up about/against someone I didn't know too much of (Crawford, in his match against Gamboa), I was seriously wrong; when I backed Gamboa and forgot he was moving up in weight.
Cheers.

-Radam G :

Yes, well looking at his recent training videos I don't see much there to bother Pacman.
But then I'm going reserve my judgment because training videos aren't always a good gauge - plus the last time I spoke up about/against someone I didn't know too much of (Crawford, in his match against Gamboa), I was seriously wrong; when I backed Gamboa and forgot he was moving up in weight.
Cheers.

But Gamboa was also off a long time. He should have never fought TC. TC had a long amateur career with just as many bouts that Gambia had. And, OH, could TC fight as an amateur. Team Gamboa did a foolishly thing.
C-Al has no amateur whatsoever. This is why he moves mechanically and prances all over the place. He hurts himself with that and trying to be fast, insteading flowing naturally-relaxed fast. Holla!

-stormcentre :

Yes, there were quite a few elements of the Gamboa V Crawford fight that I overlooked.
Basically, I just had a quick look at Crawford and believed too much in Gamboa's skills and that he would address his defensive liabilities for the fight.
Wrong approach (both Gamboa and me).
Hard to see how you're wrong about Algeiri, and I can see how he moves unlike a pure boxer; but time will tell - I'm sitting out of predicting that one.